Dean Haglund is back in Los Angeles and he and Phil Leirness went up to the rooftop studio high atop the historic neighborhood of Los Feliz to get their drink on and to record this episode all about travel, commuter trains and movies. Dean sings the praises of Waymo, tells tales of getting “upgraded” during his flights, and says the word “bathhouse” way too many times for Phil’s liking or comfort. Phil discusses a potato chip brand he really enjoys and shares the cocktail recipe for a “Manhattan Noir”. In between, the film noir classic Odds Against Tomorrow, the current Japanese movie Exit 8, and the Japanese classics Spirited Away and Shall We Dance? all receive deep-dive discussion. The great Harry Belafonte and the brilliant Koji Yakusho are both celebrated, and Dean explains a bit about Noetic Science as depicted in Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets.

It’s the symbolic final weekend of summer 2025 and your friends in podcasting commemorate in style with almost 70 minutes of rich podcasty goodness! They discuss how one of Dean’s all-time least favorite films might become a television series. They discuss how a Todd Haynes period detective film they would have loved to see might just be back from the dead. They discuss how and why Weapons has captured the cultural conversation in a way few movies do any more. They discuss how and why Netflix had the #1 film at the box office, why Netflix didn’t want you to know that, and what it might portend for the future. They discuss the merits of the new Netflix mystery The Thursday Murder Club. They discuss the 1987 classic River’s Edge and the 1949 all-time masterpiece The Third Man. In the return of the “Live Event of the Week”, Pink Martini performs under the stars at the Greek Theatre. In “Celebrity Deaths”, an Oscar-winning composer, a Tejano legend, a chart-topping flugelhorn player, a co-founder of “Derek and the Dominos”, and the jazz singer dubbed “the lady with the million-dollar ears” all get remembered. Finally, Dean and Phil pay tribute to the great Terence Stamp. Happy Labor Day, USA! Happy Monday, everyone else.

In their last episode before they celebrate their 15th Anniversary of “changing the way people listen to the internet”, Dean and Phil have a lot to discuss in a show biz world that seems to be getting ever more back to “normal”. There are TV shows like “Better Call Saul”, “Barry”, “Julia” and “Our Flag Means Death” to weigh in on, and movies like “The Batman”, “Kimi” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” to analyze. A wide array of classic and contemporary performers will get celebrated, including George Chakiris, John Cassavetes, Michelle Yeoh and Zoe Kravitz. In “Celebrity Deaths”, a great French star, hockey’s “The Flower”, and a Broadway icons who became a fixture on both the big and small screens, will all get remembered. Plus, Dean is auditioning again and Phil is hosting more live events.

Yesterday was Labor Day in the USA and poolside barbecues are an end-of-summer holiday tradition …

As loyal listeners of this show know, your friends in podcasting have been producing a brand new feature film, The Lady Killers and yesterday was the film’s wrap party – a poolside barbecue no less!

So, grab your water wings, your sun screen and your funny bone and pull up a deck chair …

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness welcome two of the loveliest actresses, one of the funniest actors and one of the best character actors (and teachers) working in the business today.

It’s coming to you a day late, but it’s well worth the wait. It’s one of the best episodes yet of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!00

Phil just got back from two weeks in Northern California, so Dean and he have almost too much show for one hour! From utilizing Phil’s training as a Violence Prevention Specialist in discussing issues of relationship violence as they pertain to Chris Brown and Rihanna … To answering a question from loyal listener The Sicillian about casting directors and the auditioning prcoess … From discussing the late Ron Silver’s claims that his career was unjustly derailed due to his own conservative politics … To the continued in-fighting between factions vying for control of the economic sinking ship that is (or used to be) the Screen Actors Guild … This Chillpak Hollywood Hour is so filled with hard-hitting news analysis, you’ll swear you’re listening to NPR.